Literary notes about Tentative (AI summary)
The term "tentative" in literature conveys an air of provisional uncertainty and cautious exploration, whether describing a physical act or an intellectual inquiry. It is used to evoke moments where actions or ideas are incomplete or in the process of being fully formed, such as when a character’s physical gestures are hesitant [1, 2] or when a theory is put forward as a preliminary interpretation [3, 4]. This nuanced usage extends to dialogue and narrative construction, where a tentative smile [5] or a provisional outline [6] signals both an openness to further investigation and the inherent uncertainty of human thought.
- She marched around my head and back again, now and then laid a tentative paw on my nose or chin, and kept up a steady rumbling purr.
— from A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer - He took a tentative step forward, arm outstretched.
— from Fire MountainA Thrilling Sea Story by Norman Springer - These investigations must be regarded as tentative rather than conclusive until confirmed by similar necropsy reports in man.
— from Scurvy, Past and Present by Alfred F. Hess - Harrisse questions this interpretation, and considers that what Humboldt thinks knowledge was simply a tentative conjecture.
— from Christopher Columbus and How He Received and Imparted the Spirit of Discovery by Justin Winsor - he added, with a tentative smile, as though still afraid of irritating him.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - In the absence of case studies of the family as a natural and cultural group the following tentative outline for sociological study is offered: 1.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
